The dancing miners wear helmets, but five are shirtless. The worker quoted by the newspaper, who said he was one of those fired over the incident, said the miners had removed their shirts to ensure the Barminco name did not appear in the video.

Barminco, which has operations in Africa as well as its native Australia, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.

Australia is experiencing a mining boom, with thousands of workers attracted by high salaries to remote Outback mines. The West Australian said the miners who lost their jobs had six-figure salaries.

The unnamed worker who spoke to the newspaper said the miners were only "having a bit of fun". A Facebook page set up seeking their reinstatement carried comments supporting the workers as well as people saying safety regulations should be obeyed.

Paddy Gorman, spokesman for the Construction, Forestry, Mining, and Energy Union, said none of the miners at Agnew Gold Mine in resource-rich Western Australia state is a member of the mining union.

Up to 4,000 videos of "Harlem Shake" variations are uploaded on the Internet daily. The song "Harlem Shake," recorded by Brooklyn disc jockey and producer Baauer, is currently No2 on the Australian singles chart.